Introduction
Hello everyone! My name is Bijia Zhang (Steven) and I am a third year architecture
student come from China. During the first two yearsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; study I did some design
studio subjects such as Virtual Environment, Design Studio: Earth Learning From
The Master and so on. I have some skills of design tools such as Rhino, AutoCAD
and Sketch-up, but digital design theory and tools are still very new for me. I did
not know anything about Grasshopper until I know it is needed in this subject. So
I did some self-learning in the holiday and now I understand how Grasshopper
works and part of the skills to use it. It seems that parametric design has become
a new trend in architecture design field recently and there are more and more sorts
of building structures which are based on parametric design. I am very interested
in this new design tool and hopefully I could achieve a better understanding of this
field by the end of this semester.

2

PART A

A1 Architecture as a discourse

3

Architecture as a
discourse

Architecture can be seen at anywhere around the
world, it is an indispensable part of human society.
But what is the reason? Why architecture is so important? What does it bring to us?
Architecture is defined in a lot of ways, at long
time ago, which was the time when buildings
firstly appeared in the world, architecture was
only functioned as shelters for people to live inside and prevent them from the natural damage.
After a long period of time when the word ‘architecture’ actually came out, it was not only
a place for people to live anymore, it became
more and more delicate so that it started to be
viewed as a kind of art, which means the aesthetic intension of the architecture was somehow beyond the actual function of it. However,
Williams disagrees with this sort of view and
says that architecture should be thought less as
a set of special material products, but rather as
a collaboration between a range of social and
professional practices that sometimes, but by
no means always, lead to buildings (Richard,
2005, pp.108).
What Williams has said points out the most important part of the consideration. Architecture is
developing year after year, it is not only a work
of art or a product which has only one function.
With the help of the new technology, today’s
architecture has become more like a discourse.

4

According to Schumacher’s view,
architecture is ‘a system of communications that is constantly changing’
(Patrik, 2011, pp.1) which means architecture can be anything that generates
discussions. This is the trend of modern
architecture . Nowadays, architecture
is much more influential than before. A
good architecture can make contributions
to the site, make contributions to the
inhabitants and these contributions are
also relate to many other aspects such as
politics, social and culture so that architecture becomes a sort of discourse. A
successful architecture today is capable
to balance the elements mentioned above
and to be a hot topic of the society regardless of time.
Now I am going to introduce two special
projects which show how architecture
influence the environment and generate
amazing outcomes.

Guangzhou Opera House
The Guangzhou Opera House (Fig. A1.1) designed by Zaha Hadid is a revolutionary
opera house. I choose it to be the first precedent is because it well demonstrates
how architecture can be a discourse. The central designing inspiration of this
architecture is called ‘double pebble’(Zaha 2013), this sort of contoured profile and unique twin boulder design make this architecture have a good connection
with the Pearl River, let people feel that this building is an elegant production by
nature, this fits the idea of hamonius in Chinese culture. This opera house lays in
the ‘new city plaza’ of Guangzhou, its outstanding appearance will attract more
and more people to come here so that the plaza will become the ‘living room’
of the city, it takes the resposibility to enhance the relationship between the people
who live in this city and the city itself.
Technically, the building is built using concrete, granite and paneling glass. Although the materials are all very hard, the facade of this building is streamline
shape so that it looks really elegant and friendly. The most important feature is that
the size of the glass is very large and the light can easily come into the building or
go outside from the building. So at daytime, people may stand inside the building and see beautiful natural secenery outside, at night, the amzing lights come
out from the building will disperse the dividing line and make the architecture mix
together with the entire plaza and even the entire city.
5

It is also important to notice that this
is an architecture which is so dynamic,
with the help of parametric designing
tools the speical shape of the building
and beautiful paneling glass are achieved
sucessfully. Zahaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s work is always full
of imagination and shocks people. The
Guangzhou Opera House is a good example to show how architecture combine
visual, natural, cutural and technical features together. In my future design, I am
interested in making strong connections
between architecture and environment to
generate efficient design.

The Church of Light (Fig. A1.3) is the most famous work by
Tadao Ando, it is another good example to show how architecture can be a discourse. This building is made of silky smooth
concrete and sits mostly within its environment. The key feature of this architecture is that the space of this church is defined by light, by the strong contrast between light and shade
(Galinsky, 2006). This is a very typical instance which explains
how architecture can convert natural element into its own usage.
The light enters from behind the altar, from a cruciform cut in
the concrete wall that extends vertically from floor to ceiling and
horizontally from wall to wall, aligning perfectly with the joints
of the concrete. People can feel the holy and pureness of the
church by looking at the â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;light crossâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; it is the reason why this
church is so outstanding.
This is not a building designed with parametric modeling tools,
but it still inspired me a lot. If we look carefully we can find
out that there is no any other decorations inside this church,
the materials used are only precast concrete (wall) and timber
(bench). However, it is a church which has the same kind of
solemn atmosphere as the other famous cathedrals. This is the
power of the light cross. Although it is not parametric design, I
think the idea of light cross can still be useful in my future design. Because it also demonstrate how architecture links to the
nature and this sort of creativity may be very useful in parametric
design.
Fig. A1.3 http://pixel-samurai.blogspot.com.
au/2009_12_01_archive.html

Computational Architecture
What advantages the contemporary computation
can bring to the architecture design? How these
advantages make the architecture better?
As we know prior to the Renaissance, buildings were constructed, not
planned(Yehuda, 2004, pp. 7 ). It means at that time there was actually no
architecture design at all. However, architecture design nowadays develops
extreme rapidly and architects need to consider about different sorts of problems. So a medium is needed to assist the architects to deal with complex
design process and computation design is just this medium.
As Woodbury says, ‘Computational design process provides us a design
space’ (R.F. Woodbury& A.L. Burrow, 2005). In today’s architecture
design, drawings by hand can not satisfy people anymore, computational
design tools such as the Rhino and its plug-in Grasshopper are the medium
which can allow architects to design beyond the limitation of the two dimensional drawings and generate different kind of outcomes quickly. They just
need to adjust the input data and new possibilities would come out in front of
their eyes.
Another thing to mention is that ‘computerization’ and ‘computation’ is actually
different. Computerization is using computer aid tool as an editor or virtual drafting board,
but computation means ‘use of computer to process information through an understood
model which can be expressed as algorithm (B. Peter& X. D. Kestelier, 2013, pp.10). For
instance, AutoCAD is the modeling tool uses predominately 2D modeling to communicate
sections, plans and elevations. It can help the designers to get clean and accurate drawing
maps for buildings. But AutoCAD is more likely to be a recording tool rather then a designing tool so it actually belongs to computerization. The Grasshopper I mentioned before on
the other hand, belongs to computation. Therefore, we can see that computation design
process can help architects to get many more good ideas even beyond their imagination,
and it is also a good tool to help architects to adjust their design easily.
Now I am going to talk about two examples which show the advantages of using contemporary computation design tools in architecture design.

Metropol Parasol
Metropol Parasol (Fig. A2.2) is a wooden structrure located in the old quarter of
Seville, Spain. The designerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s idea comes from the vaults of the Cathedral of
Seville and the ficus trees in near by Plaza de Christo de Burgos. This architecture highlights the ability of contemporary computation design not only open up
the possibilities but also the potential fabrication outcomes. In order to fabricate
this structure, architects need to consider the shape of every piece of the wood
and how they should connected with each other and bear the loads well. However, it is obvious too much to deal with for people without any computation tools.
It is the computation design tools which helps the architects to easily generate a
visual outcome before the real structure is started to built.

11
Fig. A2.2 http://www.panoramio.com/photo/50900827

However, even during the construction process, the
engineering firm found that this structure was technically infeasible as designed (Marmol, 2010). So we
can see that how difficult it is to design and especially fabricate an amazing building. It is clear that the
designer of this structure had adjusted the data for
large amount of times in the parametric design tools
in order to find out a feasible outcome.
On the other hand, this is a beautiful structure which
strongly links with the environemnt and nature. Peopleo can walk on to the top of this architecture along
the stairs and there is also an underground market for
people to shopping inside. Also, the dimond openings forms by pieces of wood will generade amazing
pattern on the floor when it is a sunny day. So in a
conclusion this is a fantastic architecture â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;comes
fromâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; nature.

Pheonix International Media Center
Phoenix International Media Center (Fig. A2.4) locates in the southwest corner of Chaoyang park, it is a building designed using coputation design process and has many special
features. Apart from the media office, the boardcasting studios and the production offices ,
the building provides abundant of open spaces for the public to get interactive experiences,
which expresses the unique operation concept of Pheonix Media. The logic of design concept is to create an ecological environment shell embraces the individual functional spaces
as a building-in-building concept. The two independent office towers under the shell generate many shared public spaces. In the east and west parts of the shared spaces, there are
continuous steps, landscape platforms, skyramps and crossing escalators which fill the
buiding of energetic and dynamic spaces. Moreover, the buildingâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s shape originates from
the â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Mobius Stripâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;, it provides the building a harmony relationship with the irregular direction of the existing streets, the sitting corner of the site and the Chaoyang Park. Another
important aspect of this building is that the double layer exterior of the building can improve
the comfort in the functional areas, and reduce the consumption of energy. Also, the structure skin of this building ensures that there will be enough amount of light comes into the
building (Megan,2011).
We can see that it is the computation design process which helps architects to generate this
architecture which combines energy saving, communication with pubilc, useful functions for
staff and other elements together. This will be the trend of architecture in the future.

Parametric Modeling
What is parametric modeling? What are the advantage and shortcomings of this technique? How is
it being used in architecture design?
Parametric modeling is a kind of new architecture design method. The key idea of this method is to convert
all the architecture design elements into variable quantities of a function, by altering these quantities the architects can achieve different design results. It is said
that â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Parametric design is designing by numbersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;.
So the software I mentioned in last chapter such as
AutoCAD actually is not parametric modeling tool, but
grasshopper is.
Parametric modeling is widely used in the architecture
field all around world because it has many advantages.
It can provide architects a lot of shapes which extend
peopleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s mind, in another word, it is a inspiring tool.
Burry states that the system provides a significantly
deeper engagement between the computer and users
by automating routine aspects and repetitive activies
thus facilitating a far greater range of potential outcomes for the same investment in time (Burry, 2011).
It can comes out with a lot of architecture shape which
is hard to be thought about by architects. Also, the
reason why parametric modeling has a great future
is that all the variable quantities can be controlled. If
the architects feel that some part of the model is not
good, then they can just adjust the quantities without
changing the whole project, in another word, parametric modeling allows architects to change their design
without starting agian with some draft sketch, it improves the design effeciency.
16

However, parametric modeling has
some shortcomings as well. The
most important thing is it can not
help the architects to know if this
kind of model is feasible to be built
in real life. Further more, it often
comes out with a model which
looks really cool overall but actually
has a lot of unreasonable parts in a
smaller scale.
So, we can see that parametric
modeling is very useful but architects still need to study it carefully
in order to use it in a right way.

17
Fig. A3.1 http://www.l-a-v-a.net/projects/mswct-snowflake-tower-2/

Snowflake Tower

Fig. A3.2 http://www.architecturenewsplus.com/projects/685

18

The snowflake tower (Fig. A3.2) designed by LAVA is inspired by the
geometrical order of a snowflake and
the aerodynamics of a Formula 1 racing car (Despark, 2013), . The tower
encapsulates speed, fluid dynamics,
future technology and natural patterns
of organization. Rather than purely
mimicking shapes in nature for their
elegance and unpredictability, the architects learned from natureâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s own geometrical orders creating highly efficient
structures and intriguing spaces. With
the help of parametric modeling tools,
Lava let the design unfold as a result
of the projectâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s needs: optimal natural light and air distribution, maximum
views, minmal structure, user comfort
and an unrivalled water experience.
Although it is a skycraper, because of
parametric modeling tool, architects can
easlily control every part of this building
and adjust the data until the outcome is
satisfactory.

Because of the special skin generated
using parametric modeling tools, this
building achieve all the advantages I
mentioned above.
This is an example of how parametric
modeling tool helps architects to generate an architecture whose idea comes
from nature and gives the visitors strong
feelings of mix with the environment.
Jobs can be done in such a big scale, we
should have the confidence to deal with
design in a smaller scale.

Fig. A3.3 http://www.archello.com/en/
project/mswct-snowflake-tower

Fig. A3.4 http://europaconcorsi.com/projects/105362

New National Library of the Republic of Kazakhstan
The National Library of the Republic of Kazakhstan (Fig. A3.4) designed by BIG (Australian Deisgn View, 2009) is a building full of
creativity. It brought the idea combine four worldwide typical architecture structural shape- circle, ring form, arch and dome together
and forms a mysterious Mobius strip. Because of these four structural shape, this building has big circular courtyard, corridors with
arches, and beautiful dome looks like the Mongolian tent.
With the help of parametric design tools, the skin of this library becomes really special, it has large amounts of openings whose shape
is gradually changing from diamond shape to triangle depends on
the sunlight amount shining on the building. Moreover, this building is built in a natural park so it cooperates with the environments
well and gives the visitors a chance to study while enjoying the
beautiful scenery.

These two precedents
inspired me a lot for the
future gateway design.
Simple repeated pattern
can be arranged in different ways so that the
building can make use of
the natural elements and
enhance the connections
between the architecture
and the environment.
Using the parametric
modeling tools, it will be
easier for us to control
the input data and archieve suitable outcomes.

This is an exploration I did with using parametric modeling system. Since I am interested in the
pattern and skin I tried to achieve a matrix which has rectangular openings and the size of these
openings are gradually changing from one corner of the matrix to the opposite corner of the
matrix.
I firstly drew a matrix using the SqGrid tool and add two Number Slide to control the length and
width of this matrix. Then I find the center of each cell of the matrix and use the Scale tool to
generate a smaller square in each cell. In order to make these smaller squares change gradually
Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve used a Series tool to control the factor of the scale. After this I used the Flip Matrix tool to
swap the rows and columns of the matrix so that the smaller squares can change gradually not
only from left to right but also from bottom to top. The following steps were much easier compare with the previous steps which was to add a thickness to the matrix and made the thickness
be random. It can be done by using Jitter tool and the Extrude tool. Finally, I baked the model
into the Rhino and it looks cool.
Here are some other interesting explorations.

23

PART A

24

A5 Conclusion

Based on the research of computational architecture, parametric modeling tools and
my own algorithmic exploration, I will argue that skin helps architecture nowadays to
have stronger connections with environment.
And I think parametric modeling tool is a fantastic assist for architects to generate the
skin which has this function.
The precedents I list before in previous chapters especially in the last two chapters
have shown that how skin can help architecture to link with environment. It either
control the light amount come in or go outside the building, or make people inside the
building have different sort of experience of the scenery outside, or even can help to
improve the energy efficiency of the architecture. Skin is not only fabricate for decoration any more. The key idea is with the help of parametric modeling tool, we have the
chance to play with different patterns and try to arrange them in different ways in order
to achieve a skin which helps our design to link with environment and benefits for
itself. I think I can achieve a special outcome by using parametric modeling tools such
as Grasshopper.

PART A

A6 Learning Outcomes
Parametric design has become a trend in today’s architecture field. It assists architects to generate outstanding
buildings which fits the fast moving society.
I am excited that I have the opportunity to learn parametric design in this studio and I think my understanding of
parametric modeling has developed a lot during the past
few weeks. Firstly I have learnt the difference between
‘computerization’ and ‘computation’, I know that
the tools such as AutoCAD belongs to ‘computerization’. Secondly, I develop my skill in using Grasshopper, before I joined this studio, I knew very little about
Grasshopper and did not have any skills of it. But now I
can do some of my own creation by using it which makes
me proud. Thirdly, studying the precedents of a lot of
masters helps me to find out the key idea of these professions and see how they are using parametric tool to
do architecture design.
If I could use Grasshopper in last year’s Studio Water,
I might create a mesh which is very organic so that the
building can have a harmonious relationship with the site.

25

26

PART B

EOI II: DESIGN APPROACH

28

PART B

B1 Design Focus

29

Design Focus
This section of the journal will explore and explain the area of interest our group chooses. Evidence will be provided to illustrate design
explorations that have been undertaken within case-studies and also
general research.
Our group decided to focus on the research field of patterning. Pattern is always very important to architecture nowadays. Because
each pattern has a specific structure that describe not only the design
element itself but also the function the element served. Different collections of patterns lead to a building style which is adapted specific
climate or culture and it is also useful for architecture to achieve good
lighting and ventilation conditions.
We believe that the Wyndham City Gateway Project is to serve a
function of a solar power station by using patterns in terms of a sustainable purpose, which provides indication of arrival into metropolitan Melbourne and using surface movement to create sense of high
speed.

30

Fig B1.1

Fig B1.2 http://www.flickr.com/photos/thuang/16582785/

Spanish Pavillion
The precedent we choose for our design focus is the Spanish Pavilion (Fig B1.2). This
pavilion is created to represent Spain in the universal Expo of the year 2005 in Aichi,
Japan, and tackles the crucial subject of sustainable development through construction tradition, typical of the Spanish culture (Foreign Office Architects 2005). The patterning on the skin of this building is a good inspiration for our design of the Gateway
project. Firstly, the irregular hexagons with different colour make the building become
a sort of icon in the site, because of these colorful hexagons, this pavilion can attract
large amount of people to come here and do the visiting. This aim is the same as what
we design for the gateway project. We think the gateway should be an iconic piece of
architecture. It is important that the colour of the hexagons is mainly red and yellow
(different kind of red and different kind of yellow), since red and yellow are the representative colour of Spain and they are also used in Spainâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s national flag. So for the
gateway project, colour can be a influential element as well. It is also noticeable that
the material used for the skin is mainly glazed ceramic which is a customary tech-

31

It means that even the material type of an architecture can be associated with the culture
as well. Further more, the space arrangement of this pavilion is special. It is not lineally
arranged but arranged as cathedral metaphor (Foreign Office Architects,2005) so that the
visitors who go there do not have to do the visiting with the pre-arranged routes. This
feature is extremely important for the gateway project design. Because the gateway needs
to give the public a feeling of speed and arriving the metropolitan Melbourne, it can not be
a space that has limited routes. The project needs to give the visitors and even car drivers
enough freedom when they are coming inside this gateway. Therefore in a conclusion, in
our design, a successful gateway project needs to reflect the Wyndhamâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s unique natural
and cultural values as well as give the public the indication of arrival into Melbourne City.
Last but not least, it should have good lighting and ventilation conditions.

Here are the criterias our group decided in order to recognize all sorts
of design issues so that we can choose some of the best outcomes
from the different kinds of patterns we made.
- (A) Aesthetic of the skin is one of the criteria we need to pay attention. It decides that wheather this project will be eye-cathching or not.
In another word, it is the very fisrt visual experience which will be feel
by the public.
- (T) Transmittance of light is one of the most important parts which
decides how strong this project can link to the environment. It decides
that what amount of light can go through the skin of the building which
will effect the shadow created as well. Also, it may have an impact on
the night time view of the structure as well.
- (M) Material wastage has to be considered carefully as well since
there will be a buget for this project and saving material is really important. Different kinds of patterns will have different costs for the
builder.
- (I) Indication of Metropolitan and high speed is one of the key idea of
our design and it is better to be strong.
- (S) Structural stability is one of the most fundamental requirement.
It will have an direct impact on the durability of the structure and the
site site safety of this project.
For the matrix exploration I did in the following several pages, I will
use 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 as the five stages of the standard to judge if one sort
of pattern is good in these criterias. After that, we can find out which
outcomes are the most suitable patterning to be used in our gateway
project deisgn.

35

Matrix Exploration

A 3
T 5
M5
I 2
S 4

A 4
T 5
M5
I 3
S 3

36

A 3
T 5
M4
I 2
S 4

A 4
T 4
M3
I 3
S 4

A 5
T 5
M4
I 4
S 4

A 4
T 5
M4
I 3
S 4

A 5
T 5
M4
I 4
S 5

A 3
T 5
M4
I 3
S 4

A 3
T 4
M3
I 3
S 4

A 4
T 4
M3
I 4
S 3

A 4
T 4
M2
I 2
S 4

A 5
T 3
M3
I 4
S 4

A 4
T 3
M3
I 5
S 4

A 4
T 3
M3
I 4
S 4

A 4
T 4
M3
I 5
S 4

A 4
T 3
M3
I 5
S 4

37

38

A 4
T 4
M4
I 4
S 3

A 4
T 3
M2
I 3
S 4

A 5
T 4
M3
I 4
S 3

A 5
T 4
M3
I 5
S 3

A 3
T 3
M2
I 3
S 3

A 4
T 4
M3
I 2
S 3

A 4
T 4
M4
I 4
S 4

A 4
T 3
M3
I 4
S 3

A 4
T 3
M3
I 3
S 5

A 4
T 5
M4
I 3
S 3

A 4
T 3
M3
I 3
S 4

A 4
T 3
M3
I 3
S 4

A 3
T 4
M4
I 3
S 5

A 3
T 4
M4
I 3
S 5

A 4
T 3
M3
I 4
S 5

A 4
T 4
M4
I 4
S 5
39

PART B

40

B3 Case Study 2.0

Fig B3.2

Fig B3.3

The Acoustic Barrier
This building is called the Acoustic Barrier in Utrecht,
Netherlands, it is designed by ONL Architect. We
choose this building as the precedent because the fabrication method used in this building is particular important. It is clear that computational manufactory is used
in this design. All the necessary data is read and stored
by sofware controlling production machinery, so that
there will be a direct link between the 3D model and the
product machine of the manufacturers. ONL and manufactuer Meijers Staalbouw have developed a â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;point cloudâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;
system- involving complex nodes and simple connecting
beams. This is generated through an engineering program, with a number of scripts implemented to produce
unique components (Design Build 2013). On the surface
of this structure, the volume between the beam is covered with insulated triangular glass plates. It is significant that the joints and individual parts are made during
the construction process so that the builders wonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t get
confused. Furthermore, there must be a very good manner of communication between the architect and the
manufacturer in the preliminary stage of the deisgn.
The construction method used in this building is very
similar to what we want to use for our gateway project
design, but due to the different conditions we need to
consider more before we decided what type of fabrication method we need to use. In general, this is a building
which has similar design intent to our project and it can
be a good inspiration of us as well.

Base on the inspiration we get from the Acoustic Barrier
in Utrecht and the design argument for the gateway project, we decide to use triangular patterns on the surface of
our design. However, we do not want to have changeless
triangles, we prefer to have triangles which is changing gradually so that it can give the drivers the feeling of
different speed. Farther more, we think that use triangle
mesh directly as the main structure (just like the Acoustic
Barrier) is too boring and do not have enough creativity,
so we come out with an idea which is using the diamond
shape as the main structure pattern and create â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;arrowsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; in each of the diamond so that the whole design
can be more attractive and the main design concept can
be achieved as well.

Digital Modeling Process
The digital modeling process goes relatively
smooth. It can be divided into three main periods.
In the first period I tried to create an GH algorithm which can split any kind of curve
surface into a lot of plane surfaces so that we
can make sure that the surface can be unfolded and be fabricated in the real life. Since
our digital model in Rhino is made of several
surfaces, I can import these surfaces one by
one to add patterns onto them.

42

The second period of the digital modeling process is probably the hardest one
among the three. At this stage, I started to find out the four vertices of each
rectangle and move one of them towards the center of the rectangle. By connecting three of the corner vertices and the moved vertice I can get the arrow
shape I want. Then the same method was done again in the opposite direction
so that the pattern we needed was achieved. Also, I add another algorithm in
so that the distance between the moved vertice and the corner can be determined using the slider so that it actually means that we can determine how
large the angle of the â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;arrowâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; should be.
The work in the final period is relatively easy. I just needed to import the
surfaces in Rhino to Grasshopper so
that the patterns can be attached onto
the model. The only thing I should be
careful with was to adjust the amount
of the patterns on one surface so the
final outcome would be satisfactory.
By the way, the function of this algorithm is to unfold the surface directly
in Grasshopper.

43

Phisical Modeling Process
Phisical modeling could help us to analyze the structure of our design better,
but this time we did not do it very sucessfully. In general, we are not satisfied
to this phisical model. Firstly, all patterns of our model were inversly cut out
by the laser cut so that the suface we supposed it to face outside is actually
facing inside. It shows that we are lack of fabricating experience. Also, due
to the 1:100 scale, a lot of nice details displayed in the computer can not be
shown on the phisical model, it somehow leads to the breakage of our model.
Several facades of the model even can not stand due to the lack of rigidty
of the design. In the aspect of conncection method, the way shows in the
precedent is relativel complex to be built in a 1:100 phisical model so that we
create tabs along the patterns instead and glue them together directly.
Compare the Acoutic Barrier in Utrech with our model. Both of them use
patterns on the skin to create an eye-cathing architecture, and again both
of them rely on the strong link between the 3D model and the product machine. Also, nubering methods are used in both designs. On the other hand,
several differences appeare between them as well. Firstly, as we mentioned
before, the Acoustic Barrier uses triangular pattern but our design uses diamond pattern. Secondly, the triangles on the Acoustic Barrier do not have any
change while the dimonds and arrows in our design changes not only in the
size but also in the density. Moreover, the Acoustic Barrier uses point cloud
of nodes and beams to connect different parts together while our model use
tabs and glue to put the parts together.
In order to make our phisical model become better, we really need to refine
our digital model again especially focusing on how to make the sharp corners
and tiny edges be shown in the real model successfully. Also, the size of the
tabs around each diamond can be improved by adjusting the offset distance
in Rhino. Another important part we need to consider is what modification we
need to make in order to let the model stand by itself. Last but not least, we
need to be more careful when we are producing files which are going to be
sent to the fablab.
44

In the previous sections, we have mde a decision which
is to use dimond and triangular shape to be the pattern
of our design. In order to find out what kind of arrangement is most suitable to our goal for this project, we
create a matrix (shown above) again to compare more
than forty differnt sorts of outcomes. Depend on our
argument for this project, we now prefer the arrangement of the pattern to help the design to achieve good
aesthetic effect, capable for light to transmit and most
importantly the indication of metapolitan and high speed.
By studying the matrix carefully, we choose four from
more than forty outcome which are B1, C8, E1 and F2.
We believe that the size of the angles in the pattern and
the desity of the patten all need to change gradually so
that the drivers can feel the indication of speed more
strongly. The combination of these four outcomes might
be exactly what we want.

50

PART B

51

B5 Technique: Prototypes

Since the focus of group is patterning, there is actually a lot
of limitations for our fabrication method. Unlike the other
groups who are sectioning or biomimicry, we can not create
joint intersections to fabricate our model. The way we use is
to create small tabs along the edges of the patterns and use
glue to stick them together, we need to make sure that the
pattern itself would not be effected because of fabrication.
After making the first model, we realize a lot of problems,
the most important one is that we do not want the model
to be only amazing but also can stand by itself. In order
to achieve this goal, we changed our design a little bit by
adding another layer on both sides of the initial model. The
roof still has only one layer because it does not influence
the stand ability of the model. The patterns on the skin
are rearranged using parametric tools to avoid unwanted
shadows. Also, the density of the patterns are reduced
from 10*40 to 6*24 as well, so that the whole design looks
cleaner and simpler. By making these changes carefully, our
model can stand by itself firmly.

52

The material we used for our model is
1mm thick boxboard, the structure is
actually very stable due to the material
strength. We also consider other types
of material as well. However, timber
sheet has grains on their surface, which
may lead to material failure. Plastic
sheets are stable as well but it is too
hard to be cut. These two types of materials are also too expensive. So generally boxboard is the best choice for us
although it still has one disadvantage
which is not waterproofing.

In order to demonstrate the fabrication
method for the inner layer and outer layer
of our design, we also made a simple detail
model. It was actually a single pattern of
our model. We made two diamond shape
frame to represent the steel borders of the
patterns in the real architecture. In order to
connect these two frames, we used short
steel tubes to impale the frames and fixed
them together and this structure is very
stable which satisfied us a lot. In addition,
the disable material for construct the project
in the reality is mainly steel and glass. They
are strong and common material and also
can be water proofing using specific techniques. Again, the most obvious disadvantage of using these material is that the cost
will be relatively high.
53

54

PART B

55

B6 Technique Proposal

After we finished our physical model, we began to
think about how our technique could be applied to
the site.
Firstly, we believed that the main materials which
been used in this project should be steel and glass.
It fits the idea that this design should have modern faรงade and be eye-catching. We used diamond
shapes and angles with different sizes to represent
the high speed and the indication of metropolitan
Melbourne. Moreover, the density of the patterns
on the surface of this design is not constant, it
gradually changes in a certain distance so that the
drivers can feel the repetition of the patterns and
also the changing density of them. We also consider to add solar power panels onto the top of
this project so that the whole design can become a
solar power system and helps to reduce the consumption of energy.
We also prepared some detail drawings to show
how this building is connecting with the ground
and how the two layers of the faรงade are fixed with
each other.

Compare to the other possible options, we
think the advantages of our design is it has
the sense of high speed and the indication of metropolitan Melbourne, it is very
eye-catching and also can diversify site
background, last but not least, it has real
function which is to have the solar power
system. However, there is several disadvantages in our design as well. Firstly, it
might be too expensive to be built. Secondly, the length of this design might be
too big and finally it has not shown much
of the local culture.

56

PART B

57

B7 Algorithmic Sketches

58

PART B

B8 Learning Obejectives & Outcomes

In Part B our group had come up with a general idea of what kind of design

we are trying to achieve and made not only a digital model but also a physical model. During the mid-term presentation, we got some useful feedback
from the tutors which showed how our design could be improved in the
future. Firstly, we need to focus more on the physical model, it can give
people a solid sense. Secondly, we should learn from the details and take
them back to the design process. Thirdly, the design does not have to be
so big. The most important thing we forgot to demonstrate was the reason
why we wanted the drivers to feel speed, what the intensity of the experience was. Also, we did not explain enough that how our design related to
the local culture and the inject meanings behind all the processes we have
done so far. Therefore, we have a lot of things to consider and improve in
our future work.

59

Part B process is really helpful for our group. In B1, we formed our main
argument for the Gateway Project. Then in B2 and B4, by creating the matrix we developed the ability to generate a variety of design possibilities for
a given situation. In B3, in order to make the digital model, we used various
three-dimensional media to establish and explore our group’s design. We
made a physical model in B5, which helped us to develop an understanding
of relationships between architecture and air through interrogation of design
proposal as physical models in atmosphere. Also, our ability to “make a
case proposal” was developed through the detail analysis in B6. So generally our performance is tightly connected with the learning objectives.
Farther more, the theoretical research we’ve done in B2 and B3 play an
important role in our study as well.
In a conclusion, our group and myself have learnt a lot during the working
process of Part B.

Response to the feedback & changes
made to the design intent
According to the comments given by the tutors in last few
weeks, we thought that the previous design we did which was
the two hundred metersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;long tunnel with gradually changed
patterns on it was not very successfull. The reasons were
firstly, the model looks like a tunnel could not give visitors a
strong feeling of the design and it could not make them think
about the background of this design which was the Wyndham
City. Secondly, it did not create a special experience for the
visitors when they are driving through this gateway and finally
which might be the most important thing-what was the innovation of our design. Based on these useful comments, we
thought that it was necessary for us to change our design and
rethink what the intent of our design was.
After considering of a lot of possibilities, we decided to use a
new idea and changed the model of our design. Our argument
was make patterns and forms of the design to cooperate with
each other and utilize natural elements such as light to create
particular experience for the public, at the same time encouraging further reflection of Wyndham Ciy.
Considering the Wyndham was a costal city, which had an inseparable relationship with the sea, the design of our group
also had a â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;seaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; theme. We wanted this design can make the
drivers to think of the Wydham City at once when they saw the
project and also to have a feeling of driving on the waves and
undersea when they went through the gateway.

64

Fig C1.1-C1.4

Design Concept

65

Basically our inspiration came from the logo of Wyndham City. We saw the sail and
the wave on this logo and thought the basic shape of our design could be a mixture of
these two shapes since sail represented moving foward and the curve of the waves
represented movement as well. And then we considered that in order to make the visitors think of the coastal city, the best way is to give them a feeling of the sea. So we
decided to use four elements of the sea in this deisgn which were- wave, sail, bubble
and rocks on the beach to create particular experience for the drivers.

Western Gateway Design Project was held
by Wyndham City with the aim of seeking an eye catching installation that could
inspire and enrich the municipality. The
diagrams on the left hand side were the
analytical drawings of the design. Basically, the inspirations of our design were
the sail and the wave on the city logo.
Wyndham was a costal city with a wide
range of distinctive features. The city logo
was a sailing boat with waves underneath.
It showed the cityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s inseparable relationship with the sea.
This design was generally made up by
two parts, the ten pieces of metal plates
proposed installed on Site B, represented
the waves and the sail and a series of
polyhedrons proposed installed on Site A,

66

Site Analysis

67

The provided site was located at the interchange with the Princes Highway
(Geelong Road), commonly known as the Western Interchange. Generally,
it was made up of three sites. Site A was about 90m wide (approximately
50,00m2). Site B connected to the existing service station measured about
22,000m2. Site C was a narrow band with an approximate width of 18m and
measured about 4000m2. They were all flat and open spaces generally. In addition, there was neither electrical connection nor water supply on the site. The
diagrams show the selection criteria made up of aesthetic, light effect, materials, relevance to design aim and structural stability. Our design was believed
could mostly satisfy all the elements in this criterion.

68

Design Intent and Innovation
Considering the Wyndham was a costal city, which had an inseparable
relationship with the sea, the design of our group also had a â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;seaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;
theme. The design was generally made up of waves, proposed installed on site B, and rocks by the sea, proposed installed on site A.
In terms of the waves, it consisted of 10 separate pieces. Each piece
bent more inward than the previous one, formed an overall effect of
waves hitting the rocks. The inspiration of the shapes of these bending pieces came from the sailing boats, so that another effect was like
sailing boats on the waves. Further, the waves were decorated with
hundreds of little circles, just like those bubbles floating on the waves.
The bubbles were created by using Grasshopper. They were arranged
in random sizes and used curve in the city logo to interfere them. In
addition, there was no blocked view on 360 degrees; the curve could
be recognized in all directions. On site A, there was a group of polyhedrons representing the rocks by the sea. Each individual polyhedron
was made up of 4 hexagons and 4 triangles. They were connected to
each other on the triangular surfaces. The highest point of the polyhedrons connected to the lowest wave to perform structural stability. The
overall project measured about 100m in length and spent about 20m
in width. The highest point of the wave was 20m and the lowest point
was 5m, which allowed the access of a truck. The length of the rocks
was approximately 35m in length and with a height of 7m.

69

On the whole, the innovation of our design was light. The project
was a manipulation of refraction and reflection of the light. In the
daytime, the sunlight shone through the bubbles would project dappled shadows on the road, creating an experience of driving through
the waves. The polyhedrons would have sunlight reflection in different direction, which lighted up the waves as well. To achieve the
effect, material selection was quite important. Aluminum plate was
chose as the material for the wave and translucent light blue polyethylene was for the rocks. Light blue was the colour believed could
evoke the sea. Considering unwanted reflection to drivers, a protective frosted light grey paint needed to be applied to the aluminum
plate. Those surfaces on the polyhedrons would cause disturbs to
the drivers should also be frosted. During the night, groups of light
source behind the rocks would project shape and shadow on the
waves. Due to it was translucent, the light blue colour would also be
projected on the waves. The chquered light and shadows together
with the light blue colour would create an experience of driving under the waves. Besides, more light sources would be installed under
the waves to provide basic lightening of the road.
Moreover, due to establishing electricity on site would cost a few,
solar power films would be installed at the back of the waves, so
that constant electricity would be produced to provide lightening
of the whole project. No extra disturbs would bring to the nearby
service station.

70

71

In order to make sure that the create the chquered light and shadows can be created
in the real project, our group made an experiment to firstly created it in our physical
model. We cut the plastic material which had the blue colour into lots of hexgons and
put them on a piece of one hundred percent transparent paper. I hold this paper and the
other members tried to use the flashlight to shine on the hexgons. The result was very
satisfactory, we found that there were shadows which had blurry hexgon shape on the
white paper and there was also graceful blue colour on the white paper. These two things
forms the chquered light and shadows we wanted.

72

PART C

73

C2 Gateway Project: Tectonic Elements

To be honest, due to its special shape, our design was very hard to stand by itself in the
reality. Because of this, our group had thought a lot of ways to make particular structure
to support the project. The final method we chose was to create a strong footing system to make the base of this project stable, and then some horizontal steel bars are also
needed to be put between the pieces of ‘waves’in order to balance the load in the
whole project.
As we can see in this detail diagram, the bottom of the ‘wave’is be fixed in the large
concrete block undergound, and there are steel bars which have high hardness connecting the ‘wave’and the concrete block, also, some bolts have been put outside to
conncect the ‘wave’and the concrete block as well, so that we can ensure that the
whole system is strong enough. Morever, the steel bars are put between the ‘waves’
who are next to each other, there is a part where two of the ‘waves’ have an overlap
and there is a gap in the overlap part and here is the exact position the bars been put. So
the biggest load in the most bended ‘wave’ can be transfered to the other pieces of
‘waves’to help balance the load, therefore the project can stand by itself.

74

75

The tectonic elements inside and between the polyhedrons are much simpler than that of the
‘waves’. Since it is a relatively regular geometry, we only to think about how to connecte each
piece of the polyhedron sucessfully. As it is shown in the detail diagram, we decide to use bended iron
plate and normal bolts to fix the whole thing. We only need to put the bended iron plate on the edges
of the faces of the polyhedron, and use bolts to stable them. In addition, the connection between the
polyhedrons is simple as well, we only need a steel bar to penetrate the touching faces of the polyhedrons and then use nuts to fix them.
We had made a lot of detail models in order to test the connection of the ‘rocks’. We have used
different materials such as plasticine and cardboard and we use paperboard and drawing pins to represent the iron plate and the bolts. The results are relatively satisfactory.

76

Material and Technology

77

The project was a manipulation of refraction and reflection of the light. To achieve the
effect, material selection was quite important. Aluminum plate was chose as the material for the wave and translucent light blue polyethylene was for the rocks. Light blue
was the colour believed could evoke the sea. Considering unwanted reflection to drivers, a protective frosted light grey paint needed to be applied to the aluminum plate.
Those surfaces on the polyhedrons would cause disturbs to the drivers should also
be frosted. Due to establishing electricity on site would cost a few, solar power films
would be installed at the back of the waves, so that constant electricity would be produced to provide lightening of the whole project. No extra disturbs would bring to the
nearby service station.

PART C

C3 Gateway Project: Final Model

78

79

These are the photographs which show part of
our fabrication process of the physical model. The
photographs on the next page show the final outcome of the model and the performative aspect of
kinetic elements, shading and visual effects. As we
have mentioned before, the experience we want to
create is different at daytime and nighttime. In the
daytime, the sunlight shone through the bubbles
would project dappled shadows on the road, creating an experience of driving through the waves.
During the night, groups of light source behind
the rocks would project shape and shadow on the
waves. Due to it was translucent, the light blue
colour would also be projected on the waves. The
chquered light and shadows together with the light
blue colour would create an experience of driving
under the waves. These effects have been sucessfully achieved in our physical model.

Daytime

Nighttime

80

81

PART C

C4 Algorithmic Sketches

82

83

Perspectives in car

84

PART C

85

C5 Learning Objectives and Outcomes

After the presentation, our group had received some really useful suggestions and
feedback from our tutors and the guests. Firstly, Tutors said we should explain
more about the tectonic elements of our deisgn, especially how these pieces of
‘waves’connected with each other and the ground. In order to respond to this
feedback, we had tried made some more detail model to show the steel bars which
used to connected the pieces of ‘waves’ next to each other, so that the loads
inside the design could be balanced. Secondly, tutors suggested that we should do
more experiment in order to make sure the light effect can be achieved perfectly,
for this, our group had tried to use some other material such as glass to make the
‘rocks’and tested the light effect. The biggest problem of design was that it
seemed that we did not push ourselves enough to use Grasshopper to help us to
design the structure of our model. We have realized this problem and was trying to
improve our design.
For the learning objectives, we think we did relatively well. We have included the
analytical drawings which relate our design to the site and we analysed the site in
relationship to the brief and extracted criteria for our design decisions. Also, we are
able to explain the logic of choosing our final design and we have used photography
to analyse, explore and describe our design highlighting its performative characteristics, Moreover, we have demostrated with visual and text why our Project Proposal is sucessful and innovative.
To be honest, our final design still has a lot of diadvantages so it is actually not a
very sucessful design. However, I think I have learnt lots of things in designing this
project and it has a large impact on my knowledge of architecture and the roles of
computational in the designing process. Designing a gateway is so different from
designing a building. I think it needs more imagination and techology. Since the
shape or style of a gateway is much more variable, so we need to study the site and
create lots of posibilities for it. And this is exactly what GH can help us to achieve.
After studying in Studio: Air, I have learnt a lot such as using parametric modeling
tools to create and manipulate deisgn. However, parametric modeling tools such
as GH are very professional tools. So I still need to keep practising and try to get
used to its functions further. In a conclusion, Studio: Air has given me lots of useful
knowledge for my future study.